not winter, but fall
by magic is in thy blood
Summary: arthur was forced to grow up too fast, so he never really had a childhood. merlin was able to though and likes to relive the memories. will merlin, arthur's best freind, be able to let the years fall away from arthur and let him see what he missed out on?


"This is so, beyond any reasonable doubt, insane," I said with my teeth chattering in the fresh, crisp cold.

I was out in the cold, my leather jerkin huddled around me, but it was no help. I looked up at the sky and watched the brown trees sway in the wind, throwing their innumerable color leaves like a child would throw snow in the winter. Except it wasn't winter it was fall, but it's close enough, I think as I watch a crow cry as it flew beyond my sight.

I am suppose to be at the castle right now in the big council room with my father. But you see, I have no whish what so ever to be around overage old men who I believe, are completely bonkers, and are living pop up books from hell! The way they carry on about magic and the badness of it is so insane. I mean magic is good. Yes, I, Arthur pendragon, just said magic is good. Shocking, yes? Well I have Merlin to thank for that.

Speaking of Merlin and insanity….

"Are you about done?" I asked as I pull my jerkin around me more. I hear a slight snort and prodding as Merlin comes out from under the underbrush of the woods. He has leaves in his heir and he looks as if he just wrestled a big gryphon. I shake my head at him and wonder what Clerisy, Merlin's *cough* girlfriend, would say if she saw him. Probably coo over him. Sigh, and here I thought letting the girl who had come up with the princess from Ireland a month ago, stay at Camelot was a good idea.

"Yhea, yhea, hang on," Merlin said as he held up something orange. No, hang on two things that were orange in color. They were pumpkins! Huge, colorful, plumpishly round pumpkins. Merlin sat one on the ground and held the other one out to me. I blinked at it and he nudged it to me with his hands, raising an eyebrow.

I took it, "Umm thanks, I think? Merlin, what are you doing with pumpkins anyway?"

Merlin gave me his usual sly smile and said boastfully, "We, Arthur, are going to carve pumpkins!"

I nodded and smiled, "Right. You brought us all the way out here to cave pumpkins. So if that's what we are doing then, why not get pumpkins from the stores in the castle?"

Merlin shook his head and sat down by his pumpkin. He picked up a stick, his eyes flashed gold, and the stick turned into a little shovel like thing. He looked at the pumpkin, then began cutting the top out, and as he did that said, "I always carved pumpkins in Ealdor and they were from the wild. I did it with the children of the village and I find it fun, brings out the sprit of fall,"

I watched as the top fell out onto the ground and rolled to a stop at my feet. I looked to it and then to my pumpkin in my hands. Merlin was serious. I said as much to him (with a hint of sarcasticness to it) and he glared at me.

"Fine, if you don't want to do it then I am sure Uther would love to see you right now," he snapped and went back to the pumpkin. He was carving out a circle shape in the front of it.

When the last time you got to act like a child? I thought to myself. Never, I had to grow up to fast, but I have a chance now. Taking the pumpkin, I sat down and stared at it then to Merlin.

"I don't even know what to do.' I admitted sadly.

Merlin smiled, sat his pumpkin aside, and handed me a tool. "Well first you want to…"

"Aren't they so cute, Gwen?" Clerisy squealed inside the little hut that belonged to Gwen. She was in her draping, velvet red dress and jumping up and down with Gwen. I suppress the urge to groan.

"They are. Boys you really are talented!" Gwen said with her soft voice and smile. She came over to me and put her arms around my shoulders, giving me a kiss. Clerisy and Merlin awed and ohhed. I threw my shoe at them.

"Really are you 20 or 2? I asked with a glare.

Clerisy walked up to me and thrusted her blunt dagger (good thing it was blunt too) to my nose and said, "Do I look two to you?"

Merlin just sniggered at me. He helped Gwen carry in a jug of apple cider to the table leaving me with Clerisy. She leaned closer in and whispered in my ear, "Thanks Arthur, for doing this with Merlin. It means so much to him."

I nodded and cleared my throat, "Yes, well, a prince in obligated to help anyone and besides Merlin's my friend….I did have fun."

The other two came back in and we gathered around the table drinking and talking much as we always do. However, the difference was that is fall, the air was crisp and cold, and I was strangely happier then normal.

I glanced a peek over to the hut and looked at two big pumpkins that glowed in the darkness with candle light. One was a dragon and the other an owl so different, but so much alike in ways others wouldn't understand.

Thank you, Merlin.

Well, what you think? A little, cute, nice story for the beginning of fall. Please leave a review!


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